Donald Trump’s fitness for office isn’t a medical question

A medical diagnosis will never solve the problem of Donald Trump’s presidency.

On Tuesday, Donald Trump’s physician told the world the president is of sound mind and fit for the job.

“My personal experience is that he has absolutely no cognitive or mental issues whatsoever,” Dr. Ronny Jackson, who sees Trump regularly and also cared for Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, told reporters.“I think he will remain fit for duty for the remainder of this term and even for the remainder of another term if he’s [re]elected president.”

The statement seemed aimed at everyone who’s been questioning Trump’s mental fitness, and particularly at the medical professionals who’ve never met or examined Trump but have been fervently discussing his mental health with Congress, CNN, and other media outlets.

We know Trump was aware of such talk because he requested a cognitive exam during his first annual physical with Jackson. The results weren’t particularly conclusive — the test looked for overt signs of dementia, not subtle indicators of cognitive decline. But it was an instructive moment.

As psychiatrists and psychologists try to fit Trump’s patterns of behavior into alleged mental health problems, it’s increasingly clear why any medical case against Trump is ultimately a dead end.

Trump has shown he can combat his medical critics by voluntarily taking a cognitive test and passing it. But more importantly, the American people don’t need medical experts or cognitive test results to assess whether Trump is unfit for office — we have reams of evidence, old and new, of his behavior to judge ourselves.

There may be reasonable feelings of fear and hopelessness among Trump critics that he will not be held accountable by his record alone. But experts in lab coats pathologizing him are unlikely to convince Republican leaders that Read More Here